71% of the world is made up of water. The body of water is a home to rich biodiversity. The water is also humans’ primary need. Only 3.5% of the world’s water is potable or safe to drink for humans and even animals. About 80% of the human body mass is water. Without water, we cannot survive. However, water pollutants are threatening our access to clean water.

Here are the top 9 water pollutants that are affecting the humans and the biodiversity:

Industrial waste

Industries produce tons of waste that contain harmful chemicals like asbestos, lead, mercury, nitrate, and Sulphur, among others. They either go to the bodies of water or to the air.

Sewage and wastewater

The waste that every household produces is chemically-treated before they go to the bodies of water. It contains harmful bacteria that may cause serious health problems.

Marine dumping

Most industries and households dump their waste and garbage to rivers and oceans. These garbage clogs water passageway and occupies the space for marine animals.

Agricultural run-offs

The use of inorganic farming methods involve chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers. These harmful substances will go deep in the groundwater and will affect rivers and other bodies of water.

Oil spill

According to Business Insider, almost 9 million gallons of crude oil spilled in the US since 2010. Basically, it is toxic in the oceans, killing a wide variety of marine life.

Air pollution

Burning of fossil fuels and other forms of air pollution cause toxic chemicals to mix with water vapors and will precipitate in form of acid rain, contaminating river waters and ground waters.

Plastic

Plastic is the number one enemy of the Earth. According to a study, it takes millions of year for plastic to decompose. Since 2010, more than 13 million metric tons of plastic float in the ocean, which is one of the major causes of the death of marine animals.

Unsustainable fisheries

Inorganic method of fishery uses certain chemicals to enhance the growth of farmed fishes. These affect the quality of water.

Radioactive waste

Most nuclear power plants discharge radioactive wastewater into the oceans. This can kill marine life and can cause cancers and other illnesses to humans.

Forests are very important. Over 2 billion people rely on forests for food, shelter, water, livelihood, fuel security and even oxygen. It is also “a home to 80% of world’s terrestrial biodiversity.” However, as human population grows, the forests gradually reduce in size. Deforestation threatens biodiversity and human existence.

Here are eight major causes of deforestation:

Forest fires

Millions of hectares of forests worldwide are burned each year. This may be caused a lightning strike, too high temperature, or people burning the forests. Forest fires can last for weeks.

Illegal logging

According to research, more than 15 billion trees are chopped down every year. Peru records a rate of 80% in illegal logging, whereas Myanmar has 85%. The US is the world’s largest important of these forest products.

Fuelwood harvesting

Based on FAO, 2.6 billion people depend on fuelwood or charcoal as their source of energy in cooking and heating. Thus, the consumption of fuelwood has increased to 250% since 1960.

Agricultural expansion

Human’s rapid increase of demand for major commodities, including rice, soybeans, and palm oil requires the conversion of forests into agricultural plantations.

Livestock ranching

As the demand for livestock products increases, more farmers utilize the forest space as a livestock ranch. Since 1990, Brazil converted their forest (three-fourths of the size of Texas) to cow ranch to meet up the strong global demand for beef.

Infrastructure expansion

Every year, an average of 6,500 miles of roads are constructed in the US. This requires the forest space to build the roads. Further, the rise of infrastructures and other buildings affects the forests.

Overpopulation

As of 2017, the world population has ballooned to 7.6 billion people. Almost 30% of it solely depends on forests as their source of food, shelter, and livelihood. As our population increases, more forests will be consumed.